Marriages in region drop by 16.8 percent in 2024

By Mariela Angella Oladive

Registered marriages in Western Visayas fell 16.8 percent in 2024, with 15,408 marriages recorded across the region, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority’s Regional Statistical Services Office VI (PSA-RSSO 6).

The figure excludes Negros Occidental, which was transferred from Western Visayas to the Negros Island Region under Republic Act No. 12000, enacted in 2021, reorganizing the administrative composition of both regions.

February recorded the highest number of marriages in 2024, with 2,174 marriages, followed by December with 1,967.

November posted the lowest monthly count at 729 marriages.

Compared with 2023, the sharpest year-on-year decline was recorded in September, when marriages dropped 38.6 percent — from 1,189 to 730.

Significant year-on-year decreases were also recorded in May, down 29.2 percent; February, down 24.6 percent; and August, down 24.4 percent.

PSA data showed the median age at marriage was 25 for men and 24 for women, indicating that most individuals who married in 2024 were in their mid-20s.

Among provinces and highly urbanized cities in the region, Iloilo province recorded the highest number of marriages at 6,244, accounting for more than one-third of all marriages registered in Western Visayas.

Capiz followed with 2,481 marriages, while Aklan recorded 2,152, Antique logged 2,027, and Iloilo City posted 1,920. Guimaras registered the fewest at 584.

The PSA also tracked intermarriages between Filipino nationals and foreign citizens. American nationals were the most common foreign nationality to marry Filipino women in the region.

Canadian nationals were the most common foreign nationality to marry Filipino men.

The figures are part of PSA-RSSO 6’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics report.

The decline in marriages coincides with broader demographic shifts in Western Visayas. PSA data have previously indicated falling fertility rates and changing family formation patterns across the region, trends consistent with national-level demographic projections.